5 Things WWE subtly told us at the Royal Rumble 2022: Superstar to turn face and dethrone Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania, Huge change to Brock Lesnar's character?
Royal Rumble 2022 is in the history books, which means that the road to WrestleMania 38 has officially begun. It's time for the most exciting period of the wrestling calendar year, and to start things, WWE put out an excellent show.
Overall, it was one of the better Royal Rumble events in recent years, with 2020 arguably being slightly better. But apart from a few hiccups, the show delivered with some excellent matches.
The subtle messages at the premium live event have direct consequences for WrestleMania 38, which is why we won't waste much time in telling you what was hinted at on an epic night:
#5. Seth Rollins' character change at Royal Rumble
Just for the record, @WWERomanReigns still hasn't beaten @WWERollins in an 1-on-1 competition when it matters the most!
#WWE #RoyalRumble https://t.co/IkHu0LyAWk
Bobby Lashley recently called Roman Reigns the best storyteller in wrestling today, and it's hard to argue that point. Everything from his facial expressions to body language to promos signal that there are few better than him. While there might be wrestlers on the planet who are better on a technical level, few can get the same reactions out of the crowd as Reigns.
And the 2022 Royal Rumble was the perfect example of that. The show surprisingly opened with the Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins Universal title match, and the two men proved that they have natural chemistry in the ring together.
As expected, it was complete fireworks in the ring as they had a match that perhaps surpassed their incredible bout at Money in the Bank 2016. There were several throwback moments, but watching Reigns' expression and body language change as Rollins entered to The Shield's music (through the crowd, no less) was priceless.
There was a subtle throwback moment to Money in the Bank 2016 when Seth Rollins countered a spear into an impromptu pedigree. It didn't put Roman Reigns away this time around, but the near-falls were only one among many things that made the match so incredible.
The Visionary won via disqualification when Reigns refused to let go of the guillotine choke while Rollins had his hand on the ropes. Referee Charles Robinson called a stop to the contest.
And Still #UniversalChampion, @WWERomanReigns has absolutely destroyed @WWERollins! #RoyalRumble https://t.co/3c0lEm2oNb
Post-match, The Tribal Chief took a steel chair and repeatedly slammed Seth Rollins in yet another throwback to The Shield. It seemed to signal a Rollins face turn, but the only question is why WWE would go with that finish if the intent wasn't to continue the feud.
Either way, it's a welcome character change for Seth Rollins, who has been a heel for more than two years. He could be the man to dethrone Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.